Read Online The Rancher Returns by Brenda Jackson - Free Book Online

automatically shifted to his hands. They were large and callous. They were the same hands that had sent shivers up her spine last night.
    Memories of their kiss suddenly bombarded her and then her gaze shifted to his mouth as he took a swallow of iced tea. She was drawn to the way his mouth covered the rim of the glass and the way the liquid flowed down his throat. But what really got to her was the way he licked his lips afterward. When he caught her staring, those penetrating eyes darkened as they held hers.
    â€œWant some?”
    She snatched her gaze away. The lump in her throat thickened. She was glad to be sitting down; otherwise it would have been impossible to stand on both feet. The look he was giving her had her weak in the knees.
    Somehow she managed to clear the lump in her throat and hold up her glass. “No thanks, I have my own.”
    His eyes blazed as they continued to hold hers. “I wasn’t offering you any of my tea, Layla.”
    She sucked in a deep breath. He couldn’t have set her straight any plainer than that. There was no need to ask what he was offering. That was the moment she knew Gavin Blake intended to be a problem. One she needed to deal with here and now.
    â€œYou never did answer my earlier question. When was the last time you were with a man?”
    She set her glass of tea back down on the table. “And you never answered mine about why you wouldn’t agree to keep sex out of it.” Feeling flustered, she added, “We need to talk.”
    A smile touched the corners of his lips. “I thought that’s what we were doing.”
    There was no way he could have thought that. What he was doing was deliberately getting her all unglued. If he thought for one minute his arrogant behavior would make her run, then he didn’t know her very well. “There seems to be some sort of misunderstanding here.”
    â€œIs there?”
    â€œUndoubtedly. I’m here to do a job...that is, if you let me stay to do it. But under no circumstances am I here for your pleasure, Gavin. I don’t play those kinds of games. Evidently just because we shared a kiss last night, you’ve gotten the wrong idea about me. I need to set the record straight now. So hear me and hear me good.” She leaned part of the way over the table toward him. Although his face was void of any expression, she was certain she had his undivided attention.
    â€œI am not here to engage in an affair with you, if that’s why you want to know about my sex life.” Or lack thereof. But that was something he didn’t need to know.
    * * *
    Gavin didn’t say anything. He knew she assumed his attention was on her words. In truth his attention was on the mouth delivering those words. Her lips were perfectly shaped with a little cute dip in the center. He liked the play of that mutinous tip whenever she frowned and how those same lips folded pensively when she appeared in deep thought. But more than anything, he couldn’t forget how those lips felt beneath his. Their lushness. How delicious they’d tasted. How sweet.
    When she got quiet after delivering her spiel, he figured she thought she had set him straight. Far from it and it was time to let her know where he stood. “Are you finished?”
    She seemed surprised by his question, but nodded nonetheless and said, “Yes, I’m finished.” She then straightened in her chair, her posture a lot more relaxed than it had been moments ago.
    â€œEvidently, there’s a lot you don’t understand about sex, Layla.”
    Her body tensed again. And somehow those gorgeous lips looked even more sensual. “What’s there to understand?” she asked.
    Gavin continued to study her. He saw her nonchalant expression and noted her features had taken on a blasé look. Her apparent indifference to this discussion of sex could mean only one thing. She’d been cheated of something he considered as vital